Railway porters flex muscles for a pittance
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Donning a matching orange shirt and trousers, Nadih, 47, approached a taxi entering Gambir railway station, Central Jakarta. As a blonde-haired woman got out of the taxi, he pointed his thumb to her pile of luggage and asked gently, "Need any help (with the luggage), Miss?"
The woman nodded, and Nadih grabbed the two bulging bags and quickly climbed the stairs to a waiting train. The woman took her seat and handed him Rp 10,000 (US$1.76).
"Most of the time, they give me Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000. There are even passengers who give me Rp 20,000, although it's rare. Some even give me food sometimes," he said.
"But there was a man today who gave only Rp 3,000. It' was really bad, because his luggage was quite heavy. It's Idul Fitri, you know ... but it's still a blessing," he said. Nadih never haggles over the price.
Nadih started work as a railway porter in 1973 at Senen station. In 1982, he moved to Gambir station upon a friend's advice, and is now one of 250 porters at the capital's largest railway station.
"I've been a porter here for over 11 years. I moved here from Senen to have a different experience. I don't fear catching express trains, it's become my thing," he said, fixing the laces on his almost worn-out shoes.
Being a porter, he said, was something he enjoyed, although the reality was that he, an elementary school drop out, could not get a more decent job.
"I can earn about Rp 40,000 a day normally. But during the holiday season like this, I can make up to Rp 80,000. There are too many porters here to compete with, and not all passengers use our service.
"It's very exhausting, since I have to carry many heavy bags and climb the stairs, but I can rest whenever I want, and anyway, I'm making a living."
Porters at Gambir station work in two shifts, each shift having a different color of uniform, orange or green. According to the station's regulation, each shift works for 24 hours -- from 8 a.m. until 8 a.m. the next day -- then gets a one-day break before another 24-hour workday.
"If we don't start working from 8 a.m., we'll lose the chance to make money, particularly during a busy season like this," said Nadih, who has three children and two grandchildren.
Porters, however, are not employed by the station. Deputy station master Eko Bernhard said the station only provided the uniforms, and porters were not given any allowances nor other benefits.
Nadih said the Gambir porters had established an informal association, and that they would contribute a small amount of their earnings to the association, to be used for its members.
"Each of us give Rp 1,000 to the association. If any of us get sick, for example, we can use the money to help them. The money left over will be distributed evenly after Idul Fitri."
He added that the fund had been helpful for him personally, because he often got headaches or became short-winded.
"It's quite useful at times for medication, since neither the government nor the station are paying us," he said as he picked up litter from the floor of the station.
"We also help clean the station sometimes," he explained.
This year's holiday season has brought nothing new for Nadih -- just late trains and "stingy passengers".
"Trains are always late, so it's hard to tell when they'll pull in, so we can be ready. The number of passengers using our services are falling, too. Maybe they're too stingy to spend any money on us," he said.